Getting the balance "write"

When I started writing this first novel I wanted to make it a funny and lighthearted story with a bit of satire. Most of the other stories I want to write are a lot more serious and "Hard Sci-Fi". "Hard" being that the laws of science, physics and reality are maintained. This story is "soft" and borders of the edge of fantasy in some places.

However, despite my best first efforts some of the seriousness has crept into this story too. I think it's good because I don't want the story to be frivolous and superficial. One of the reasons I write is because I have some wisdom to share and I want to introduce some philosophical thinking, which is uniquely mine.

So now I find myself reviewing my first three chapters, with the objective of sending them out to find an agent, and I need to strike a balance between the more serious stuff and the tongue-in-cheek humour. Initially it was painful as I started suspecting that I would need to rewrite quite a lot. Rewriting is like eating the same breakfast over and over again. It grates me. However, I asked myself the question: How do I make this technical stuff more humourous? I was delighted to discover that it wasn't all that difficult. Just a little bit of imagination and I was there.

That spark of imagination is the thing that keeps me coming back. It is the fire of love that I have for writing and it warms my soul. I have tried my hand at many things and here I feel grounded and at home. It's a liberating space to be in.

So I am about to rewrite those first three chapters so that I can get the ball rolling on the agent front. Coincidentally I have three more chapters to write to complete the first draft. The first draft of the manuscript is nearly finished. I can almost taste it!